For the law partners at Dewey & LeBoeuf, losing their jobs may be the least of their worries. They are likely to lose the money they were required to invest in the firm. They could lose their pensions.

A group of 90,000 former salaried workers at Ford got an interesting offer late last month: In exchange for giving up the right to receive monthly pension benefits for the rest of their lives, the company would instead pay them an up-front lump sum of cash.

Eight national women’s organizations and the Pension Rights Center submitted comments to the Department of the Treasury, generally supporting proposed IRS rules aimed at encouraging lifetime income options in retirement plans.

PensionHelp America connects people who need help with their pension, 401(k), and other retirement plans with the pension counseling projects, legal services providers, and government agencies that can help answer their questions. Visit www.pensionhelp.org.

Did You Know?

A defined benefit plan is a pension plan, usually funded entirely by employer contributions, that pays benefits according to a formula. The formula is typically based on the participant's wages or salary and length of time spent working for an employer or group of employers. Defined benefit plans are also known as traditional or guaranteed pensions.